


Hopeless Wanderer

by Natileroxs



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Babies, Dave and Rose are twins, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Fluff, Implied/Referenced Sex, One Shot, Pregnancy, Swearing, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex, because hes not an asshole, bro is a dad, bro is a good person this time, bro is half french, he made a mistake and instead of running, hes fixing it, or i guess kinda nz english, roxy and dirk are twins, tho he knows fuck all french, titles from hopeless wanderer by mumford & sons, uk english mostly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 01:05:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15938564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natileroxs/pseuds/Natileroxs
Summary: The tale of Derick Strider and the woman he doesn't know he's in love with.





	Hopeless Wanderer

**Author's Note:**

> God, I came up with this idea ages ago. And I'm so glad I wrote it. Be aware, I don't live in America and I've never been to France so somethings may be wrong.

You can hear a knocking on your door. It isn’t appreciated and you are pretty sure your kid doesn’t want to be awoken by the sound. You stride over to it, twist the handle and open it as much as the locks allow you, peeking out. 

 

When you see who it is, you freeze, staring. 

 

“Roxane, what a surprise,” She smiles awkwardly at you, smudges on her cheeks and under her eyes. 

 

“Derick,” She mumbles and you close the door, unlatch all the locks and open it fully, gesturing inwards. She enters soundlessly and perches uncomfortably on the edge of the couch. You have a feeling you know what she wants to talk about. 

 

“Roxane, spit it out. I know you want something, you wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

 

She rubs her eyes slowly. “It’s…” She pauses and starts again. “It’s about Rosie.”

 

You nod with a little hesitation, urging her to continue as you relatch the locks and make your way over to the couch. 

 

“Well, it’s just that… I’ve debated asking you for a good while, questioned myself as to if it’s even a good idea. Which it probably isn’t.”

 

“Get on with it,” You say, but there isn’t any feeling in the words. 

 

She looks flustered again. “I guess… I love my, no, our daughter.” 

 

“Your,” You whisper but she doesn’t indicate that she hears you. 

 

“And I…” She pauses again, mumbling the last part. “I want…”

 

You let out a heavy sigh as she continues.

 

“I… I just knew I could trust you with this, I know you.”

 

“You don’t.”

 

“I… I want to have another child with you, Derick. Please,” She wipes a stray tear from her eye and you rub yours. 

 

“With me?”

 

“You’re the only one I trust!” She cries out and you set yourself down on the couch and let her lean on you. “You don’t have to do anything else. I’ll have the baby and you don’t have to have anything to do with it. I’ll take care of everything, I promise!” 

 

She’s practically sobbing now and you’re gently rubbing her back. “Look, I-” 

 

“Bro?” You’re interrupted by the one person you didn’t want to disturb. 

 

Roxane looks at you and then at the two-year-old peeking around the corner, his crimson eyes catching the lamplight. 

 

“Dave, what are you doing out of bed? You’re supposed to be asleep,” You edge Roxane off you and lay her down on the couch before kneeling by the boy. 

 

He rubs his eyes, clearly exhausted. “I heard a stranger's voice so I came out to see who it was…” He mumbles. 

 

You brush stray strands of white blond hair away from his eyes and place a hand on his head, kissing his crown. “Back to bed, Dave,” You shake your head, stand up and gently take his hand in yours. You then lead him back to his room and help him to bed, pulling his blankets up to his chin. 

 

You let a smile grace your lips. “Goodnight, Dave.”

 

His eyes are already closed as you tiptoe out into the main room. Roxane looks up at you, streaks of mascara stain her face. 

 

“Okay, Roxane. Okay.”

 

* * *

You were sixteen when you first met her. As the immature prat you’d been, you sat in a bar, fake id clutched tightly in your hand. You looked older than you were, and so she didn’t bat an eye when you said you were twenty-two. She’d given you a glistening smile and you found yourself drinking too much to care what was going on. 

 

When you’d awoken, she lay next to you, naked body in your arms. She’d kissed your cheek while you’d stared up at her, dazed and half asleep. 

 

When you had come to your senses, she was gone, the ghost of her lips brushing against your neck. You’d found a note addressed to you, simply thanking you for a good night and a string of numbers written below a name. 

 

Roxane Lalonde. 

 

Weeks later you’d found yourself calling her on a whim and instead of disdain or longing, she sounded straight up desperate and you’d quickly found out why. 

 

You’d called your mother and she’d told you to do what you thought was right - despite not really knowing what you were talking about as you decided not to share key details with her. So you’d helped Roxane through her pregnancy and she’d given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. 

 

The girl you called Rose and Roxane told you that she’d take her to look after. The boy, Dave, you’d taken to care for. You’d raised him in your small apartment in the middle of Houston, finally getting your business off the ground and starting to make a fair bit of cash from it. Enough to take care of a baby while working from home. 

 

You’d kept your mother in the dark about the whole mess, tactfully using lies of omission to not raise suspicion as to what you’d done about that ‘serious problem’ you’d told her about.

 

And now you look out at the sun streaming in and find yourself not regretting the actions you’d taken when you were sixteen or the ones you’d taken last night. Her arm is wrapped around your waist and so you nudge her awake. 

 

“Morning,” You whisper when she lets out a confused hum. “Breakfast?” She smiles up at you and nods, visibly happier then she was last night. You shuffle out from under the covers, put on some clothes you find spread across the ground and step out of the room, quietly shutting the door closed behind you as Roxane slowly rises from the bed. 

 

You end up in Dave's room, brushing his hair out of his face as you wake him, and then slide the curtains open. He fusses a little but relents as you dress him and sit him down at the table before getting started on breakfast. 

 

“Pancakes? Are you spoiling us, Mr. Strider?” Roxane hums from the doorway, wearing the same clothes she wore last night sans the high heels. 

 

“Of course,” You smirk at her, golden eyes trained on hers. She holds up a pair of shades. 

 

“Yours?”

 

You take the sunglasses and shove them into your pocket, turning back to cooking. She chuckles and despite the fact that you are facing away from her, you can see her full lips parting to reveal pearly white teeth. 

 

“You must be in a good mood,” She says, sweeping her arms around you. You shrug her off and lay the pancakes down on a few plates, handing one over to her and carrying the other two plates to the table. Dave gives you a small smile before starting to eat. 

 

Roxane sits and watches Dave for a few minutes, humming. 

 

“He’s beautiful.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

* * *

 

Roxane calls you three weeks later to tell you the good news and you congratulate her. She spends a lot of time in your apartment, Rose too, and Dave has taken to calling her ‘big sis’. Neither of you has the heart to correct him. Rose calls you big bro, simply because Dave said it first. 

 

As her stomach swells, Dave grows. He’s almost three by the time she leaves for the hospital and you sit outside in the hall with your head between your legs and a young boy sleeping in a chair beside you. 

 

A nurse comes out and asks if you’re the father. You nod and she tells you to go with her. You gesture to Dave, who now has his head in your lap. She motions for a nurse to come and look after him and so you follow her. 

 

Roxane looks absolutely shattered but smiles up at you with pure bliss. In her arms are two small bundles. With a little more than a glance downwards you shake your head and sink into the chair by the bed. 

 

“You’re gonna send me into an early grave with all these damn surprises you throw at me,” You push your glasses up and rub the bridge of your nose. “Jesus, what am I going to do with you?”

 

“You can start with helping me,” While her voice is weak, she still has the joy and heart you loved in her. She holds out one of the bundles and you slowly take it out of the crook of her arm and hold it securely in yours. 

 

A baby girl looks up at you, fair blonde hair starting to make itself present on her head. “She’s beautiful,” The baby blinks a few times and then stares up at you with the prettiest pink eyes. The same ones her mother had. Without realising it, she’s grasped one of your fingers despite her hands being too small. You start to laugh and she giggles in return. 

 

“I finally understand your longing for another child,” You look up and your gazes meet. 

 

“I haven’t named them yet, I was waiting for you,” She tells you.

 

“Roxy,” You whisper, humming. She chuckles and the baby she’s holding stirs. Now that you look, you can see that it’s a baby boy in her arms. He is almost the spitting image of you. Roxane grins up at you, adjusting the boy so that it was more comfortable for her. 

 

“Dirk then.”

 

“Dirk? Damn girl, you’re a quick thinker,” You hang your head in mock defeat. “Good name though. Alright, Roxy and Dirk, we’re really keeping with the pattern here.”

 

“Pattern? You mean how your name starts with a D, then Dave and now Dirk.”

 

You nod. “And how yours, Rose’s and now Roxy’s names all start with an R.”

 

She smirks at you. “Yup.” Then she deflates. “What am I going to do?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I can’t possibly take care of two babies,” She almost whines. “I could give one up for adoption but how would I know that they’d be safe and happy? I-I couldn’t do that.”

 

You shake your head. “Don’t be silly.” You bite your lip a little. “I’ll take one, just like last time.”

 

She looks down. “I can’t do that to you. I promised that you wouldn’t need to do anything.”

 

You let out a heavy sigh, shifting the newly named Roxy so that you can put your hand on Roxane’s head and brush her hair back. She looks up at you, tears in her eyes. “I want to do this, Roxane. They’re mine too, so I have to be responsible and take care of one. If I don’t share the burden of raising our children, then what kind of guy does that make me? A dick, that’s what.”

 

She closes her eyes and lets a watery smile grace her lips. “Okay,” She finally says. “Okay.”

 

* * *

You step off the plane with an air of excitement. Not only are you about to see your mother again after all these years. But you are going to give her the surprise of her life.

 

Dirk sits at your hip while Dave follows you, carrying his own small backpack. You make quick work of customs and Dave pulls his suitcase behind him while you push the trolly holding your suitcase and Dirk, who sits happily babbling to you about something that goes in one ear and out the other as you struggle to navigate the airport. Cause everything is in fucking French. And you don’t know French god damn it. 

 

Finally, you find the way out to the arrivals lounge and catch your mother’s gaze. She smiles brightly and looks you over before catching a glimpse at the boy whose hand is in yours, or the boy who sits in the trolly carrying your bags. 

 

Her eyes widen in shock as you come closer and as soon as you get within her range, she whacks you over the head. “You little shit,” She hisses but her voice sounds more disappointed than angry. You gulp. “Why didn’t you tell me that I had grandchildren?!” She crosses her arms and you let out a breath of relief. 

 

“God mum, you scared me,” You huff and she ruffles your hair. 

 

“What’re their names?” She hums, moving towards Dave. He hides behind you and pulls on the bottom of your jeans. 

 

“That’s Dave, and this is Dirk,” You motion to the boy in the trolly, who is playing with Lil’ Cal’s arm. 

 

Your mother had given you the puppet when you were young. Dave had refused it, but Dirk is completely enamored with it. A few weeks prior, he’d come to you crying because a small tear had appeared in the puppet, but you’d kissed his head, told him it was alright and worked on sowing it back up. The boy had, with wide eyes and a thousand thank yous, clutched the puppet in his arms and ran back to show his brother. You don’t remember being that attached to it, but perhaps you were. 

 

That got you thinking about your childhood and more specifically your mother and so, late at night, sporadically, you’d booked three tickets to France, taken your mobile and called your mother. The conversation went exactly as you’d expected. 

 

_ “Mum?” _

 

_ “Derick! God, it’s been so long. Why haven’t you called me?” _

 

_ A pause.  _

 

_ “Derick?” _

 

_ “I just wanted to warn you…” _

 

_ “About what?” _

 

_ “That I may or may not be coming to visit in about three weeks time.”: _

 

_ A gasp.  _

 

_ “Dear Lord, Derick! You almost gave me a heart attack! But… I’m glad. It’s been nearly eight years, you were so young the last time I saw you.” _

 

_ Another pause.  _

 

_ “I love you, baby. I can’t wait to see you.” _

 

_ “Me either, mum. Me either.” _

 

_ I’ll come pick you up, send me the when and where.” _

 

_ “I will.” _

 

_ “I love you.” _

 

_ “I love you too, mum. Goodbye.” _

 

Now you watch as Dave slowly comes out of his shell and your mother is speaking to him in hushed tones, about things you can’t make out. She then stands up and smiles. 

 

“Come on then, let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

Dave’s nearly seventeen and Dirk fourteen when you see her again. 

 

Roxane is walking up a busy street in the middle of Houston when you cross her path. She’s by herself but unlike the last time you saw her, she is energised and happy. She doesn’t see you at first but when she does, she is by far much more shell-shocked then you are. Though the fact that you live here makes it odd that it isn’t the other way round. 

 

“Roxane,” You smirk. 

 

“Derick. Finally, I bump into you.”

 

“It’s been a fucking long time,” You look around and notice how crowded it is around the two of you, so you motion that she follow you into a café. She whispers to you and you order before sitting down across from her. 

 

“So… What you doin’ in Houston?” You ask, loosely gesturing out the window. She bites her lip. 

 

“Wanted a bit of change in scenery.”

 

“I call bullshit,” A waiter brings over your order and sets it down on the table. You take a sip of coffee and then start to pick at the muffin you bought. 

 

“Ah, you got me,” She grins and starts to tap the table. “The real reason I’m here is…” She pauses. “Is to find you again and kinda…” She cuts herself off. 

 

You give her a moment although you have an idea of what she’ll say and you’re not sure how to feel about it. 

 

“Moveinwithyou,” She blurts out. You let out a sigh. “Please, Derick! I’ve regretted leaving you the moment I did. I brought Roxy and Rose!” 

 

God, you never thought you’d hear those names said again except when you yourself mutter them when you can’t sleep. You have the sudden and powerful urge to say yes and so, instead of doing what you usually do, sigh and explain all the pros and cons of something, you got with your gut. 

 

You lean forward and kiss her. She seems to be in shock at first but then melts into the kiss and there’s desperation and longing that you haven’t felt in such a long time. When she pulls back, her eyes are gleaming with joy. “Yes?”

 

“Fuck yes!”

 

She laughs and relief bubbles inside of you as you realise that you’ve just gotten back what you hadn’t realised you’d lost. 

 

* * *

She takes you to this reasonably nice hotel she and the girls had apparently been staying at. You send a quick text to Dave, telling him you’d be late home, as you stand in the elevator. 

 

Roxane hasn’t let go of your arm since you’d left the café. When you get to her room, she slides the key card down with one hand and then uses her other to open the door without unhooking it from your arm. The peaceful atmosphere is broken the minute the two of you walk in. 

 

A girl with her hair sitting neatly in a bob, held in place with a black headband, looks up from the book she’s been reading with her legs crossed on the bed. Another girl, seemingly a few years younger, has her hair short yet wild, with a few tight curls tucked between pieces of straight blonde hair that curled inwards under her chin. She lay on the ground with some sort of notebook she was doodling in, yet featured long equations and complicated mathematics. 

 

The older girl looks you up and down, weary and confused. “Mother?” She turns her gaze to Roxane and the woman clears her throat. 

 

“Rose,” Your eyes dart from Roxane to the older girl. “Roxy,” Then they fly over the younger girl who’s straightening herself out and sitting up. 

 

“This,” Again, Roxane pauses. “This is Derick. Your father.”

 

You finally notice a photograph which stands on the mantle, in which you can make out yourself with a baby in each arm. Dave and Rose. You’re not quite sure how much Roxane has told your two daughters. You gather they knew you exist and from the photograph, what you look like, but you’re not sure what she’s said about their two brothers. 

 

Roxy snaps out of her shock first and bounces to her feet, the notebook clattering to the floor as she wraps her arms around you and hugs tightly. After a few seconds, you return the gesture. Rose is a little more hesitant about her advances and places her book down, making her way over to you and using her sister as a small emotional barrier to process everything as she too gives you a hug. Roxane steps over and runs her hand through Rose’s hair, almost purposely messing up the neatness as if she’s willing the girl to loosen up. 

 

You let everything crash over you, all the happiness and joy and love you feel for these people. And how glad you are that you said yes all those years ago, how much you regret the divide that formed between you and Roxane. And the hope to start over, to merge your two families and just live the rest of your life in peace. 

 

You know it’s a little much to hope for but it’s time to start being optimistic god damn it. 

 

* * *

Dave and Dirk pester you when you arrive home. They know something’s up. Dave’s boyfriend had left. You’d seen the guy around before you’d gone out this morning, yet he is nowhere to be seen. But the fact that Dave looks pretty fucking smug gives you a pretty good idea of what the little shit did. 

 

While Dirk mucks around starting dinner, the twerp had kicked you out of the kitchen as soon as he was old enough, Dave casually asks you what you were doing. You say you’ll tell him later, a temporary solution to a dawning problem. He doesn’t look too convinced. 

 

When they were younger, you’d attempted to hide the trust from them. It hadn’t worked for too long, as Dave had figured out you weren’t their older brother and cornered you about it. So you’d explained it to him as well as you could to the stubborn eleven-year-old and subsequently had to have the same conversation with Dirk a few years later. 

 

But, when you’d told them, you’d never properly explained the fact that there was a chance their mother would return, as you’d doubted it as well. All they know of her was a photograph taken of her just before she’s left for good, a baby Dirk in her arms, Dave and Rose sitting at her feet while holding Roxy extremely carefully between them. You remember taking it. 

 

They are never quite brave enough to ask you about the two girls, but you know that the two assume they are sisters of some kind, half or otherwise. 

 

After the three of you eat, you catch them before they can sneak off to their bedrooms and hound them into the living room, sitting them down with the photograph in hand. Confusion is painted on Dave’s face and you sigh. You point at the two girls and say their names then tell them that the girls are their sisters. 

 

Dave smacks you over the shoulder and you merely glance over at him before starting. “You know how I told you how your mum lives really far away and that you’d never meet her and shit.”

 

Dirk nods slowly while Dave narrows his eyes as if he’s already figured out what you are on about. He probably has. 

 

“Well, I ran into her on the street today,” Dirk lets in a sharp breath and Dave raises his eyebrows in interest, not wanting to show too much excitement. “She wants us to be a proper family. She wants her and her daughters to move in with us.” You let them ponder it for a second before Dirk blurts out. 

 

“Fuck yes!”

 

“What did you say to her?” While Dave doesn’t really remember her, the faint presence she’d left with him when he was really little is still there and so you can see his hope. 

 

You let out a small chuckle and the two look stunned. “Of course I said yes. I’ve loved that woman since I first laid eyes on her.” 

 

* * *

Roxane shows up on the doorstep of your apartment block with about ten million (Actually just seventeen) bags and two daughters at nine in the morning two days later. Luckily you live in the penthouse which has five bedrooms, one of which you’ve been using as an office/studio, or you’d need to find a new place to accommodate all of you. 

 

Dave had cleared out the two rooms long before you’d asked and Dirk had gone to help when he’d gotten bored of the project he’d been working on. 

 

You buzz the three in and they take the elevator up. Once inside, Roxy runs over to hug you again and Roxane comes over to press a kiss to your lips which lingers for longer than it should. Rose stands awkwardly by the elevator and you smile at her. You’ve been smiling an awful lot lately. 

 

At the sound of commotion, Dirk stumbles out of his room, bags under his eyes. He must have pulled an all-nighter, which you merely sigh at. You should really start punishing him for pulling stunts like this, but at this point, he’s already punishing himself too much for anything you do to be any use.

 

He visibly brightens when he recognises Roxane and while he doesn’t pull a Roxy and rush right up to her, he still closes the distance between them with more energy than he should have with the hours he’s slept. Roxy quickly pounces on him and he is startled for a moment before realising who she is. He glances over at Rose, who looks like she’s even more out of place, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. He nods over at her and then Roxy and he begin to chat. 

 

Dave doesn’t leave him his room until much later when the rest of you are comfortably seated on the couch. Roxane and you sit next to each other while Roxy is beside you and Dirk sits by Roxane. 

 

Rose sits by herself when soft footsteps patter against the carpet and then there's Dave, shades hastily shoved on his face. He takes one glimpse at the group and then seats himself wordlessly between Dirk and Rose, connecting the elder girl to the rest of the group. 

 

She lets a small smile cross her face and shuffles over to sit closer. 

 

* * *

 

Dirk’s tie is crooked, so you reach out and fix it. 

 

“Dad, it’s fine!” His magenta tie is not ‘fine’ but after a few seconds of fiddling with it, you realise that that’s the best you’re going to get. Dave leans inside the tent, crimson eyes visible for once. His shades are pushed up into his hair. You’re glad, you don’t like the fact that he hides them all the time. He’s eighteen for fuck sake, he should be proud of himself. 

 

He motions for you to come out and so you and Dirk follow. Dirk stands makes his way to the back and is handed something out of your eyesight. Dave leads you to the front, looks at you and unexpectedly hugs you. When he pulls away, you smirk and then shake your head. 

 

Your hands are shaking and sweating and you are  _ not  _ nervous damn it. You look back and Dave gives you a thumbs up. Then you look out and catch the eyes of your mother and she gives you a big grin and a wink. 

 

The music starts but you can barely hear it. Instead, she is the only thing that has your attention. The gown she wears isn’t what makes her special today. No. It’s the smile you can vaguely make out under her veil. And the brightness in her eyes. 

 

The girls follow in pretty dresses of sunny orange and midnight blue, flowers in their arms. Roxy steps over and takes the flowers from Roxane and the two of you take each other's hands, speak your vows, exchange rings - Dirk brings them over - and seal everything with a kiss. 

 

All those years ago, when you first met you, you never imagined it would be like this. But you don’t regret a thing. Nothing at all. And you wouldn’t give it up for anything. 

 

Not even the world.  

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed. This was mostly written for personal enjoyment due to my love for these characters. This isn't beta read, so if anyone wants to check it over, I'm all ears. 
> 
> Fun fact: I listened to what me and my friends call the nostalgia playlist while typing and it helped me write this faster and better.


End file.
